Blog Archives

Lean vs Six Sigma – Which Should You Choose?

Next to Lean, Six Sigma is probably the most popular process improvement methodology in the world. As a business startin…
What is Lean Manufacturing?

Discover what Lean Manufacturing is, it's methodologies, it's main purpose, why its important, what are lean principles …
What is Lean Supply Chain Management?

Lean Supply Chain Management is a philosophy that champions waste reduction and process simplification. It’s a sys…
Lean Visual Management Tools: 5 Types of Visual Controls

Visual Management and Visual Controls go hand in hand they are the life blood of a Lean production system. Raed as we ex…
How Do You Reduce Lead Time in Your Supply Chain?

Excessively long lead times are the single biggest factor leading to poor supply chain performance. If your business is …
Practical Tips for Warehouse Signage

We often talk about the importance of visual controls, and how they help to improve the efficiency of our teams. On a re…
Leveraging Digital Solutions in a Lean Management System

Industry 4.0 is here and there is more and more talk about using digital solutions to solve manufacturing problems. Tim …
When Investment in Technology Makes Sense – And When it Doesn’t

Industry 4.0: When Investment in Technology Makes Sense – And When it Doesn’t The past 20 years have seen a rapid ac…
Visual Workshop Process – Colour the Work Centres When Selecting the Best Layout

When designing a new factory, warehouse or officespace it can be easier for your teams to understand and buy in quicker …
Five Ways to Improve Supplier Performance

Whether your business is involved in manufacturing or distribution, chances are that the number one reason why you fail …
5S Lean Housekeeping: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardise, Sustain

To have an organised and efficiently running factory, we need to know that everything has a place, is in that place and …
What is Effective Company Leadership?

What is effective company Lean Leadership? Company Lean leadership comes out of three key elements:- a strong senior man…
Four Practical Strategies to Help You Navigate the Skills Shortage Without Increasing Salaries

Reflection on past efforts provides the opportunity to look inwards and get the most from the people you already have. R…
The Top 6 Ways to Engage Suppliers to Improve your Supply Chain

The Top 6 Ways to Engage Suppliers to Improve your Supply Chain Everyone wants to engage suppliers to improve performanc…
Creating a Lean Factory Layout

Often the TXM team are called in to help relocate factories or rearrange within the current walls to improve production …
Running Out of Factory Space? – Five Places to Find More

One of the most expensive and risky projects that your business will make is relocating its manufacturing operations. Re…
Keeping Your Daily Team Meeting Effective

Daily team meetings start off with great level of enthusiasm and vigour when first implemented; however it doesn't last …
Creating a “Future State” Value Stream Map

Previously we outlined what a value stream was and how to find yours in your manufacturing company. Now we will look a…
Production Flow Elements – Supermarkets

A key part of implementing Lean Manufacturing into a Production area is understanding Flow; how parts move along the pro…
Eight Ways to Make More With What You’ve Already Got

Prices are rising, labour and materials are hard to get and margins being squeezed, every business needs to be focused o…
Lean Manufacturing Quick Tip 1 – Zero Monitoring

Aim towards Zero Monitoring on production machines - It is recognise that monitoring activities on production machine ar…
The Improvement Tool – Kaizen

Kaizen is used to change for the better by eliminating the 7 forms of waste (Muda) in a process, as the main continuous …
Operational Excellence

The terms operational excellence and continuous improvement are often used interchangeably, but in fact they are quite d…
5 Workplace Behaviours to Improve Productivity: It’s Like Baking A Cake

Improving workplace productivity can be harder than you think, but it can to broken down into parts to make it easier to…
Top Five Lean Videos from TXM

Over the past three years we have posted dozens of videos, but a few have really connected with the on-line audience. Th…
New Lean Thinking: How Understanding Customer Value is Key to Disrupting Your Market

Understanding the value you provide your customers is key in disrupting new markets and creating growth. Focus on your c…
The Missing Metric – Productivity

In many of the companies TXM has visited over past number of years, productivity measusre are very hard to find. When en…
How 10 Minute Meetings Every Day Can Help You Get Back 9 Years of Your Life

Daily stand up meetings have the ability to provide important detail in a 10 minute meeting, helping you reclaim preciou…
What Makes a Great Supply Chain Manager?

By Timothy McLean, author of “On Time in Full: Achieving Perfect Delivery with Lean Thinking in Purchasing, Supply Cha…
The Top 6 Ways to Build Supply Chain Resilience

It is more important than ever to make sure you build supply chain resilience focusing on building systems and processes…
The Advantages and Challenges of Implementing a Lean Supply Chain

A Lean Supply Chain can uncover hidden value for your customers. There are some advantages and challenges you should con…
The Top 5 Benefits of Lean Supply Chain Management

The benefits of Lean Supply Chain Management are massive with supply chain complexity increasing in recent years it is m…
Is 5S Really Just a Waste of Time?

5S is one of the foundations of a successful Lean Manufacturing system but many businesses we have seen place too much e…
Lean Farming: Five Ways You Can Improve Productivity

Lean Farming can be achieved by applying Lean manufacturing methodologies on the farm. Tim McLean explains 5 ways you ca…
Why the Majority of Lean Implementations Fail – Or Do They?

Why the Majority of Lean Implementations Fail? There are mixed messages about Lean Management Systems. Read the truth ab…
The Six Steps to Bring Your Production Back Home

How to Bring Your Production Back Home I recently made the business case for re-shoring production. However, once you ha…
What is Australian Manufacturing?

The past three months have provided a welcome focus on Australian manufacturing. However, it seems that there is a lack …
Business Continuity Planning

Creating BCP could mean the difference between your business surviving or not surviving. Learn how!…
When Panic Buying Sets in Normal Supply Chain Rules Don’t Apply

COVID-19 has created an unusual situation, panic buying has caused supply chain breakdown. How do you fix it?…
So, You Think You Can’t Make a Ventilator? How to Pivot Your Manufacturing to the New Reality

Pivoting your manufacturing might sound daunting, but it can be easier than you think. If you take some steps to get thi…